Drilling apparatus



y F. F. DAVIS DRILLING APPARATUS Filed June l2, 1925 A rra/may Patented May 10, 1927.-

FRANCIS F'ALCONER UNITED OFFICE.,

DAVISQF MOUNT VERNON, OHIO, ASSIGNR TO FRANCIS HARLEY DAVIS, OF IVIONTEREY, CALIFORNIA.

DRILLING APPARATUS.

This invention relates broadly to apparatus for drilling` holes in the earths strata or other purposes known to the art. lt is adapted for core-drilling but may be iisedto cut away the entire content of a borehole by the substitution of a different bit.

Specifically it is an improvement on the type known as Davis calyi drills for which reissue Letters Patent of the United States, No. 11,597 were granted to Francisl-l. Davis7 April :27th, 1897, in which, embodied as sep-r arate items are tiro salieiit features consisting` of; tirst7 a drilling or boring element 'which while in operation produces chips or grindings; second, a chip-cup, sludge-barrel or calyx element which collects such 'mat ter as is produced by the c rilling element.

Drills of this type are of many-jointed construction having been ori ginally de "'iied to operate under the slow rate of roti tion necessary when drilling With a .Davis cutter,--say from four to sin: turns per 'minute :ind largely on that account fail in many Ways to meet present conditions, wherein most of the drilling is abrasive ciittin medium .such :is chilled iron shot, or crushed steel.l the use of .vhich requires a rapidly rotated drill-three or four hundred revolutions per minute.

Under the former conditions a jointed construction comprised in such an apparatus may have been admissible; but Where, as is the case in shot drilling, Whole shot and shot particles unite with borehole sludge and forni a grinding paste of suc-li destructive` ability as the closest joints and hardest steel fail to withstand; the fewer joints the bet-ter. As m y improvement has largely to do With the elimination of certain ui'iiiecessary and objectionable joints in a drilling apparatus of this kind l will discuss them in relation to the former art and in contrast lwith my iniiliroved and novel construction z- Referring to Reissue, No. 11,597 above mentioned, Sheet 1 Figure elit is apparent that the first weak spot in the construction, counting from the drill up, is where the rod A connects with the corebarrelplug C. This joint is the most fruitful cause of. trouble in apparat-us of this kind. The majority of the many drill-s which break olf down boreholes break short olf at the joint A-G This is caused in part by the infleXuous rigidity of the apparatus at C and the flexibility of the rod A, which of much 'smaller done by some form of.

Idiameter than the borehole and having no rigid support from a shot-Worn joint at l-C to enable B to keep A in true axial alignment is free to lash and vi rate Viorlently in the borehole under torsional strain and end pressure While drilling. The tendency to break at this point is augmented further by shocks impart-ed to A by heavyloaded, loose-jointed calyX When whirled round with rapidity and force, this undoubtedly tends to crystalize the rod and cause shot particles to work into the joint; which, be it observed is iiight inthe Very bottom ot the calyx where the steel particles are natureily moet abundant. My improvement as will be seen eliminates this joint. i

lll hen under such conditions as outlined above a rod A breaks at AC the calyX B generally comes to the surface with the Withdrawal of the drill rod A. l/Vhen B is lifted from its seat on C it spills its entire contents on and around the drill producingl a serious l'tuation that in many cases has vbeen overcome by drilling through the core-barrelplug` C With a smaller sized drill so as to go on dovvn through the drill and continue the borehole with a `smaller size; although it not infrequently occurs that owing-.1 to the dogging action of one drill Within the other the A'tuck drill becomes loosened and may be fished out in Which case the borehole may be continued Witho ut reduction at this point.

Such a fishing operation to be successful depends critically upon the ability to Acenter the smaller drill in true axial alignment with thatV of the stuck drill and not come down on it foul. The chances are against success, and in any case some of these core barrelpliigs G are formidable chunksof metal, for boreholes ot' several .feet in diameter such as have been drilled abroad require them to be large; even when cut through by such smaller drill the resulting core that falls ldown into the corebarrel ahead of the smaller drill often give-s serious trouble, My improvement does away with these costly and objectionable corebarrel-plugs and substitutes a Wooden plug therefor.

This is not a hypothetical case but one that has occurred to me several times and to others. Sometimes the problem Works out successfully at other times the hole has to be abandoned, often at great monetary loss.

Having` in this preamble described some of the limitations inherent to apparatuses of the kind mentioned and their inability to meet the present conditions I will now state the objects of vmy improvements z- One object iste provide a drilling apparatus in which corebarrel and calyx are substantially composed of one integr-al piece or that are otherwise provided with joints j udiciously located at points where flexure is reduced to a minimum and shot particles are not liable to do them injury.

Another `object is to provide a diminishing tapering neck to the apparatus that will act to absorb shocks where drilling apparatus and drillrod meet, and that may serve as a cen er to guide one drill over another inv case it vhas to be drilled into.

Another object is to provide a thin shell where one drill would drill into the other.

A nother object is to furnish the upper portion of such an apparatus with one or more openings whereby drillhole-matter may by following the liuc of least resistance find access to the interior of 'the calyx element.

A further object is to provide a novel connecting coupling, adaoted to couple the tapered end of the apparatus to a drillrod in such wise that it may receive movement therefrom, said coupling also adapted to act as the means of suspending with fluid-tight connection, a wash-pipe or duct connecting with a bulkhead located in the interior of the apparatus.

A still further object is to provide a drilling apparatus of such construction that the burden of the detritus ascending the borehole shall find its way into the calyx before coming in contact with any flexuous oint.

A further object is to provide a structure of apparatus better adapted for drilling a tru-e hole, by reason of its rigidity and because the point of connection between apparatus and drillrod is farther up from the bottom.

An additional object of shifting the drive from the corebarrel-plug C of the older patent to the top of the calyx element as comprised in my improvement that when drillrods do break olf at the latter point they may be withdrawn without dumping 'the contents rof the calyx on top of the drill.

yThe fact should be fully realized that there is no known substance proof against the continuous attack of these shotty particles, they mill through chilled iron castings, steel beams, anvils, the hardest rock and even the diamond could be drilled by their agency; it is imperative to exclude such particles from all joints, particularly so from those subject to shock and the peculiar creeping action of a drillrod set up by the varying resistance of a revolving drill. l

An important object is to provide an apparatus in which the calyx element transmits 'motion to the drilling element instead oi the drill element transmitting motion to the calyx element, as is the case in former constructions.

Another object is to provide a soft bulkl'ieadplug, preferably of wood, to separate the calyx element from the drilling element.

Another object is to provide a washpipe or duct to act as conduit means to convey wat-er or iiuid through the calyx member and form part of the wall thereof.

The combined objects tend to make a drill f novel construction and of greater eiliciency, one less liable to breakage, more easily lished out when broken, one that costs less to make and that will give longer service with fewer repairs than drills of former type.

Further objects and novelfeatures Will bey fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings and will be more particularly pointed out in and by the appended claims.

.ln the drawings Figure l. shows my drilling apparatus in vertical elevation complete as it would appear at work drilling in the earths strata, the latter being shown in section.

Fig. 2 shows in vertical middle section the saine parte of .the apparatus as shown in vFig. l.

3 shows a cross section on line 3-3 Fig. l.

VFig. a, sectional elevation of upper portion of apparatus.

Fig. 5 shows another form of F ig. 4 illustratinr: tube 5 acting' as re-enforcement to neck of apparatus.

Like characters of reference refer to like parts throughout the different figures of the drawing,-in this instance numerals; whereas, the parts in United States Re-issue Patent No. 11,597, to which frequent references are made, are designated by capital letters.

Referring more fully to the inability of drills of this former type to make good at shot-drilling. will say that during twenty years exoerience 'as a drill operator, mostly with drills of this kind l have never seen or heard of any form of calyx holder that will hold. ln spite of all efforts in this direction, and much attention has been turned toward it there is no device extant that will hold a oalyx down on corebarrel-plug C and concentric with drill-rod A. In consequence of this, calyx B soon works loose and fails to keep up with the drill as it revolves. This sets up such a grinding action at the seat Bm() that the joint will not retain the calyx mat-ter but allows it to circulate in and out of tube B, now no longer a calyx but a loose tube riding round by jerks on C to the ruin of both.

The function of the calyx is to collect drillings and the like. Nor-finally there is a balance between the footage drilled and the quantity of matter for the calyx to care for. A calyx that will not retain its contents, or

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xwise or that has inadequate capacity to' contain the amount of calyx matter resulting from a given footage drilled, hampers the operation of an abrasivedrill by requiring an excessive iiuid current to keep mass ot cuttings in suspension which should, by right-s, have been taken care of bythe calyx as produced, such excessive current tends to carry the abrasive from under the drill and reduce in my novel and improved drilling apparatus there are no such joints as those come prised by the juncture oit ili-C and 'LL-ll. or ot the rod li and the pins J oi'- Reissue Patent lo. 11,597, before-mentioned.

My iiiullthead 6 wlieirsul'ijected to water action swells so tight inside the apparatus that it becomes practically imn'iovable, then again, it is not subjected to movement, end.-

torsional. Calyn matter having once entered my improved calyx through the per'torations provided tor such pui-pire stays there until it is desirable to have .it reu'ioved; moreover, tube having nothing whatever to do with. driving the drill may be relatively smaller in diameter than drillrod A which in the reissue atoresaid performs that function, being smaller it leaves more room for cuttings in the calyn.

improved drilling apparatus consists of a tubular structure l provided with a drill member 2 either as a separate n'iei'nber or termed by the slot-andheel `feature l2 being cut on the end of the corebarrel 8, direct.

r1Ehe upper portion of provided in some instances with a din'iinishing neclt l0, tapering smaller towl-.rd the upper end which is furnished with means off attachment to drill-rod el by coupling 3 or other suitable means; said upper portion olf the drilling apparatus being providedwvith one or more pertorations as T.

lnteriorally the apparatus l is provided with tube 5 extending a predeteru'iined distance upward from the bulkhead-plug (i, lith/eu .secured in place shown iu the drawings, 5 and t3 serve to separate the interior of drilling` apparatus Yl into the two eomjnirtmeuts, comprising, the drill element 5% and the calyx elen'ient 9 and also provide for iiuid passageway therethrough from the drill-rod el. l

.in Fig. 5 is shown another form ot upper end tor the apparatus more adaptable for drills o i" e-en'ialler size the parte l, 3, and i()L ot which are similar to the parts l, 3 and l() ot Figs. Le.

lllhile l have shown the apparatus l asa core drill, yet it is obv'ous that my improvement applies equally well to any combination ot calyi; and drill wherein cuttings are ren'ioved from the drill and stored in the calyx by fluid means.

rlube 5 rigidly attached to bulkhead 6 the apparatus Vl is.

. coi'uposed ot substance may be slipped into the apparatus i from the lower end until the thread on 5 engages with a counterpart atupper end ot apparatus where they may be securely screwed together by an extension wrench, or by other suitable means applied to boss 1l, the said boss ll may be integral with tube 5 as shown or otherwise rigidly attached thereto.

When in operation the drilling apparatus l gets its moven'ient .from the drill-rod l, being coupled thereto, d being energized by some form ot' drilling mechanism. The apparatus is provided with a drilling means and a fluid agency under which passes down through drill-rod il and tube 5, thence to the bit 2 where it passes through slot l2 turns and comes up the borehole lit'ting cuttings, with its upward flow, carrying them up between the outer structure ot' the drilling apparatus and the Wall ot the borehole to the point where the perlorations i' are met; here, following the line oi` least resistance,

regulated pressure debris and l the like they pass through said perfi'irat-ions and subside into the calyzi'element oi'; theapparatus i, to be drawn up with the withdrawal ot the drilling apparatus, from which they can insertion oi? a bose or flushing out the be empty on be removed by the suitable means adapted for calyx reservoir so that it may its return to the borehole.

While l have herein shown and described speeitic forms ci my invention l do not wish to be limited thereto. except by such limitations as the claims may import.

i. claim l l. `In a calyx drill apparatus ot the kind described, an elongated tubular structure comprising a drill element and a culyx element means 'lor carrying fluid through the calyx and a bulkhead adapted to close the bottoni end of the calyr., the said bulkhead that will swell when wet, as wood.

A calyx drill apparatus of the kind described, comprising in combination, au

lili) elongated tubular structure comprising a j drill element and a calyx element, means itor head adapted to close the bottom end oi'i the calyX, the said bulkhead composed oi? substance that will swell when wet, as wood.

ln a calyx drill of t-he hind described having an elongated tubular structure, a calyx element, a tubular drill-barrel element, means for carrying 'fiuid through the calyx, an internal bulkhead adapted to close the bottom end of' the calyx, the said bulkhead being further adapted to be inserted, assembled, and removed with relation to the structure without any dismemberment of the said elongated tubular structure.

l. A calyx drill of the kind described, comprising in coi'i'ibination, an elongated tupartitioned internally by a carrying fluid through the calyx and a bullibulkhead so as to `foi-1n a calyi; above the ulkhead and a drill-barrel element below the bulklierd, Suid bulkhead forming u clo- .Qure for 'the bottoni of the cul)l :1 duct menu tor czurying liuid 'through ghe calyx, the Sui d lnrlkhead being,` further adapted to be ineerteeh inseeinbletl, or removed i 'ith relntion to 'the 'elongated tubular ,structure without 'there being anyv dienieuibernient oi' the arid elongated tubular structure per ee.

In u culpa-driven appinfatus or' the kind described; un elouguted tubular structure; ineens 'tor rurrying l'luid tl'irough the cilyx; un internal eclt-erpunei've lnilk-hcud; upper portion olI .tubulur structure Y:onlornied to exclude said l ilkdieu-d; lower por-tion ol" lubular structure und bod)v oiI ruluilar struc-- 'ture :ldap-ted to receive :Suid bulli-heard: 'the Said liulk-hearl being' adapted lo be pressed up into the Suid tubul 'trui-iure troni the lower end ol: aid strlic'tnre und lj'urthcr f "lupted to be securei'l therein, or to be removed therefrom by .nicune operating thru Suid lower end ol' said r-aruci'ure.

G. ln a ciilyzodriven :u'ipiuulus olf the kind described vand in conibinurion; au elongated tubulm` structure; :L inerme ,tor water through the fculyzt; :in internal ,mi expensive bulk-head nie-:nis udagiti-d :to clot-tc the bottoni oii 'the crslyx; upl'ur poriiou o the tubulin' Ietructure cou'lnincd to exclude entrance oil the Sui-d l-uilk-heud thcrsto: loner portion ot' the ltnluihxr etructi, 'c acidified -l-o receive Ithe bulk-head; .Suid bulle-head being adapted 'to be pressed amil" up into seid tubular Structure from the lonwr cud tlicfreot, adapted ulso to be Secured in mid structure or to be rumor-ed thercifroiu by ineens o'peratii-ig' -tl-i-ru said lower end folE the u p pa ru tue.

'7. culyX drillingl uppuratus couuorisingf .in cmirbination, :i drill nieuibcr` a c-.ilyx

Structure uilupted to drive drill. nieune for connecting' said culy; to a drill-rod, ductineune lor carryingl 'liu-id troni drill-rod tl'uo'ugh the "mijn structure1 Suielble per-- foratione in culvx Structure, zi bulkhead pui titioninp' 'cnlj'fx compartment i'roni drill member, Sai-d bulkhead iii .dlr Secured to the lower end of Said duct. and -counterpir t means adapted to be l`ei-cured by un independent. agent for useenibling the Suid duct and bulkhead Within the uppurutns.

. In en apparatus ot the kind deslicribcd having a tubular structure, a calyx element, u tubular drill-barrel element, means for carrying Huid through the calyx, an interior bulkhead adapted to close the bottoni o'tf the caiyx, the Suid bulkhead composed oi substance that will swell when wel; und being located within u jointleiss portion of the said structure7 subetzintially as, and tor the purpose set forth.

E). Au apparatus of the kind described having a tubular structure, coniprieing in combination, a culyx element, n tubular drill-barrel elementl means tor currying iiuid through the calyx, en interior bulkhead iu'luiiied .to close 'the bottoni oit the culyr, the .Quid bulkhead composed ot sub* stance that will Swell when wet and being located within a jointless portion of the said Structure, eubstuntinlly ne deecribed.

l0. Ai apparatus oi: the kind described hinting a iointless tubular structure, a calyx element. a drill-burrel element, u drill ineinber, nic-ane ,lor carrying lluid through the culjyx, u bulkhcud that will Swell when wet und close the bottom oi' the culyx.

ll. An uppzirutue of the kind described haring' :i j'oiiu'lese tubular structure conipricing in coiiibinution, u calyx element, a drilidmrrel element, e. drill nieniber.) nie-zine i'or carrying-j fluid through the calyx, a bulkhcud that 'will :fawell when wet und yclose the bottoni oi the calyx.

li. in un Aapparutne ot the kind described haring un -e-lougated tubular structure with u. tapered neck whose wall is relatively thicker thun the well of the structure7 a bulkhed partitioning' the structure into u drill-barrel element und a. culyx elenient, u pipe t'or ciu-wing, Yiuid through the calyx the upper end ol the pipe being; adapted to reinforce the Suid neck and to lusten thereto.

133. An apparatus ot the kind described having un elongated tubular structure coinprieing in combination7 a tupered neck whose wall is relatively thicker than the Wall ot the Structure, a bulkhead partitioning the structure intro a drill-barrel element and a culyx element, u pipe for carrying' tluid through the calyx. the upper end ot the pipe being adapted to reiniiorce the Suid neck and to fasten thereto.

In testimony whereof l affix n'iy signature.

FRANCIS FALCGNER DAVIS. 

